2009 Toyota Prius problems
Owners have filed 644 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Toyota Prius. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 32% of complaints. After that come lighting (17%) and cruise control (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 644 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 32% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 90 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 37 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 33,000 miles 508 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 204 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 60 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 40 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 41 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 48 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 41 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 26 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 13 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 17 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 8 |
| 200k+ miles | 10 |
What the data shows
Among the 508 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 32,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 15,000 miles (158 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 90 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 37 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2009 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 23 model years of the Toyota Prius with enough data (426 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Brigham physician killed in car crash top internist was loved by patients, hospital's staff she was a mother, wife, doctor, and supervisor. Globe staff / april 23, 2009 email| print| single page| yahoo! Buzz| sharethistext size ' + the popular medical director of a major physicians' group at brigham and women's hospital died tuesday after she was involved in a head-on car crash near her home in needham.
2009 toyota prius. Consumer states steering wheel air bag did not deploy during a fatal car accident *tgw according to the police report, the driver rear ended another vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact was driving the vehicle at approx 10 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated as the driver's foot was on the brake trying to slow down. The vehicle in front was rear ended but the vehicle still did not stop accelerating so the driver swerved and hit a sign. There were no injuries reported at the scene, but after 3 people in the other vehicle reported injuries. A police report was taken at the scene.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. When ever the contact wore polarized sunglasses the instrument panel displayed dim lighting. The manufacturer was notified and there has been no resolution. The contact is aware of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 7,400. Updated 9/17/09 updated 09/18/09.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota prius. The contact was driving approximately 25 MPH on an uneven road. Suddenly, when pressure was applied to the brake pedal there was a temporary delay of braking power. The vehicle was able to continue in normal operation. The failure occurred whenever encountering an uneven road surface. The vehicle has not been inspected for the malfunction. The failure mileage was 28,000.